Category Archives: Articles

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Far More Than Fantasy: The Enduring Appeal of The Lord of the Rings

I can still remember the palpable sense of excitement as we sat in the packed cinema, the house lights dimmed, and the title card for The Fellowship of the Ring appeared on the screen. A cheer arose from the wildly enthusiastic audience (who had queued for several hours to get into this first screening) as the words of Galadriel (played by Cate Blanchett) solemnly intoned: “The world has changed. I see it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air.”[1] This year is the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring movie first appearing on our screens and with Amazon’s ongoing Rings of Power series, Middle Earth has lost none of its appeal.

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Does Artificial Intelligence Disprove God?

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is transforming our world in the way that other general-purpose technologies (such as electricity or the internet) have in the past. But at the same time, AI is generating lots of philosophical and theological debate, with some even arguing that humanity’s creation of digital intelligence somehow calls God’s existence into question.

But what if the reverse is actually the case: could it be that AI actually reinforces the case for God rather than undermining it? Let’s explore that idea by showing how AI actually gives fresh energy to one of the oldest arguments for God’s existence and, at the same time, illuminates a more recent one.

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How to Find Peace at Christmas

Have you ever wondered why we long for peace, yet struggle to find it?

I love Christmas: the food, the music, the presents, the carols, friends and family. But ever since we became parents, Christmas hasn’t exactly been peaceful.

If, like me, your Christmas involves kids in the house, it will probably be busy, noisy, and chaotic. Last year it was about 5am when the first head appeared at our bedroom door shouting “Has Santa been?” Shortly after, there were Nerf gun battles on the stairs. It was less Silent Night and more Silent Witness.

Christmas is meant to be peaceful. But for many of us, it isn’t. Nor is it so in the wider world. Whether it’s the endless fighting on social media, community tensions, political turmoil, or wars and violence across the world, from Ukraine to the Middle East.

Peace seems in short supply. And that’s just the problem of peace out there. What about the lack of peace many of us have in here, inside us: anxiety and stress, or worries about health, family, or finances.

Peace seems so elusive. And yet we long for it. Ask many of us “What would you like for Christmas?” and once we’ve listed toys, games, gadgets, and novelty socks, then many of us—if we think a little deeper and more honestly—say things like “I’d wish for love. For hope. For peace.”

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Have You Ever Wondered If All Religions Are Basically the Same?

I grew up in a very diverse part of London; where I lived as a teenager, you could choose from a thousand different belief systems: Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Humanism, and a multitude of other isms. Within a mile of two of home, there were churches, mosques, temples, a gurdwara, and a myriad other places of worship.

Religion was everywhere as I grew up and today, a few decades on, it’s still everywhere and it’s growing. According to the statistics, we are becoming a more religious society here in the west. People don’t believe less, but they do believe more diversely.

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“The Wayfarer”: An Interview with Andy Kind about his amazing book

One of my favourites of the 50 or so books I’ve read so far this year is The Wayfarer by the erudite and witty Andy Kind. What’s so good about it? Watch this short interview I did with Andy (and his now famous comedy sidekick) about The Wayfarer. In three minutes we cover comedy, walking, faith, loss, redemption, and hope.

Get The Wayfarer on Amazon as a paperback or e-book.

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I Want to Know More About Christianity – Where Do I Begin?

We live in remarkable times. All around us, more and more people—especially those under 30—are beginning to think deeply about faith, spirituality, and the big questions of life again. Bible sales are up. Church interest is quietly growing. And atheism? It’s not holding the same cultural sway it did even ten years ago.

Why? I think it’s because the secular answers simply aren’t cutting it. They don’t satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart—longings for meaning, purpose, identity, and hope.

Maybe that describes you right now. You’re curious. You’re asking questions. You’re wondering where to even begin. A friend of ours, a teenager who lives just a few doors down, recently said to my wife, “I want to start thinking about spiritual things … but I have no idea where to start.”

If that’s how you feel—or you have a friend like that—the advice below is for you.

Here are seven simple, honest steps to begin exploring Christianity …

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The ‘Quiet Revival’—Are Young Adults Leading a Church Resurgence in England and Wales?

A Deeper Look (Co-Written with ChatGPT Deep Research)

A Quick Overview … Keep Reading for the Deep Dive!

  • The Claim: The Bible Society’s 2025 Quiet Revival report says monthly church attendance rose from 8% to 12% of adults between 2018–2024, driven mainly by Gen Z. Reported attendance among 18–24s quadrupled (4%→16%), with young men at 21%. Growth was strongest in Catholic and Pentecostal churches, with increased Bible reading and greater ethnic diversity.
  • Context: If correct, this would mark a reversal of long decline. The report suggests Gen Z is finding faith for meaning and community, with young churchgoers reporting better wellbeing.
  • Challenges: Other datasets (e.g. British Social Attitudes, denominational counts) show decline, not growth. Critics highlight survey flaws (opt-in sample, “priming” questions, over-reporting) and note that nothing else corroborates such dramatic youth-led growth.
  • Bottom Line: Encouraging hints exist, but the evidence is weak and inconsistent. At best, it may signal modest growth in small groups, not a broad revival. Future surveys will show whether this is a real shift or a statistical blip.

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Mainstream media increasingly noticing the surprising rebirth of belief in God

In the British newspaper The Times there is another fascinating (all the more so because the journalist is clearly a bit baffled by all this) article on the return of especially young people to churches. The “quiet revival” isn’t quite revival, let’s not get too carried away, but God is very much on the move and this story fits a pattern.

Read the whole article here: https://bit.ly/4mks6UH

Check out the new edition of The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist in which the last chapter explores more of what’s going on right now.

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The Ashes of Atheism and the Rekindling of Faith

How the New Atheism Died and a Quiet Revival Began

One afternoon in late 2015, I opened my inbox to see an invitation from a colleague at the University of Toronto asking me to take part in a dialogue with Richard Dawkins.

The Richard Dawkins. Arguably the most well-known atheist in the world. The man who’d practically trademarked disbelief in God. One of the so-called ‘Four Horsemen of the New Atheism’. And a man who had once almost mowed me down on his bicycle as I crossed an Oxford street. (Clearly, Richard doubted not only God, but also the sanctity of zebra crossings; not everything for him was black and white).

When that email landed, I’d just written The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist, a book responding (philosophically, practically, and playfully) to the most popular arguments of Dawkins and his other New Atheist teammates: Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. So the idea of sparring with one of them live on stage? It was terrifying but also thrillingly exciting.

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When Heaven Seems Silent: The Problem of Unanswered Prayer

Most of the toughest questions about the Christian faith are not abstract or philosophical but are deeply personal. Whether it’s the problem of suffering and evil, or doubts about whether God could love somebody like us, or the questions and doubts that arise when we feel our prayers go unanswered.

You don’t need to have been a Christian for very long to run into the challenge of prayers feeling as if they are bouncing off the ceiling. So if you’re wrestling with this question, you’re not alone. The famous Christian writer C. S. Lewis said that unanswered prayer, especially as he prayed for his sick and dying mother as a boy, was one reason he abandoned faith for thirty years. Lewis wrote:

The trouble with God is that he is like a person who never acknowledges one’s letters and so, in time, one comes to the conclusion either that he does not exist or that you have got the address wrong.[1]